Miscarriage Management

After diagnosing a pregnancy loss, doctors sometimes offer a choice of miscarriage treatment. The options are usually to wait for a natural miscarriage, have a D&C, or use medication to bring on the miscarriage bleeding. The clinicians at CHOICES can assist you with diagnoses and any of these options.

NOTE: We are currently an in-network provider with the following plans: Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Medicare, TennCare, and TriCare. We can provide an itemized receipt for services if you would like to file an out-of-network claim with another plan. Please call your insurance carrier for details about your own coverage and benefits.

Choices can assist you with managing your miscarriage. If you are experiencing any symptoms, contact your doctor, midwife, or Choices immediately.

Ectopic Pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilized egg settles and grows outside the inner lining of the uterus, instead of inside.
Around 1% of all pregnancies are ectopic. Left untreated they can be fatal – because of internal bleeding – and the risk of losing the pregnancy is increased.

Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are:

Shoulder tip pain – where the shoulder ends and the arm begins, more evident when the patient is lying down
Severe abdominal pain
Feeling light-headed
Dizziness

What is Miscarriage?

Miscarriage is a pregnancy that ends on its own, within the first 20 weeks. It is one of the most common complications associated with early pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. It is important to remember that having a miscarriage is not your fault. It happens much more often than you may realize.

How do I know if I’m having a miscarriage?

Symptoms include:

Cramping and pain in the abdomen

Fluid or tissue discharge from the vagina

Feeling faint or light-headed

Disappearance of pregnancy signs you were experiencing

If you are pregnant and experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor, midwife, or Choices immediately.

How is miscarriage diagnosed?

Ultrasound scans to check for the heartbeat

Blood tests to determine if hormone levels are normal

Pelvic exam

What causes miscarriage?

There are numerous causes for miscarriage. There are also different types of miscarriages, and different treatments for each.

The most common cause is chromosomal abnormality, meaning something is not correct with the fetus’s chromosomes.

If you have several miscarriages in a row, you may be desperate to know why this is happening to you. In about half of cases, a cause cannot be found. You may be able to take hope from the fact that three out of four women who’ve had three miscarriages in a row without an obvious cause go on to have a healthy pregnancy. Good medical care and support from the beginning of your pregnancy can help it to go well.

How common is miscarriage?Miscarriage occurs in 10-25% of all clinically recognized pregnancies. Many miscarriages occur so early that a person may not even realize they were pregnant.

What happens after a miscarriage?

Every situation is different and your practitioner will help you with the correct steps going forward. Even if you know you have miscarried, it is important to see a doctor in case it was incomplete. In many cases, not all of the contents of the uterus are expelled naturally. For the body to recover, the uterus must be emptied. Some cases require pills or aspiration.

How to cope with miscarriage?

Coping with a miscarriage can be a heartbreaking and emotionally draining experience, no matter how early in pregnancy it happens. You will need to allow yourself a chance to grieve and recover.

Your partner will need time to come to terms with the loss, too. Every person’s experience of miscarriage is different, so give yourselves plenty of time to recover.

In time, you will be able to look to the future again. When you’re ready to think about trying again, it may be some comfort to know that most couples go on to have a healthy pregnancy in the future.

To talk with our practitioners about miscarriage treatment and management or to schedule an appointment, please call our office at 901-274-3550.